In a monumental achievement for German Counter-Strike, Berlin-based organization BIG Clan has qualified for the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, marking their return to the pinnacle of competitive CS after a two-year absence.
The German squad, led by veteran in game leader Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz, delivered a thrilling performance in the European qualifiers, reigniting hopes for German Counter-Strike fans who have endured a challenging period.
BIG are through to the Major!
The road back to the Major has been difficult for BIG. After falling short in the RMR for the BLAST Paris Major in 2023 and failing to even reach said qualification stage for the first Major of 2024 in Copenhagen, the team underwent significant changes.
In February, after another disappointing result at IEM Katowice, BIG returned to German in game-communication, bringing back star AWPer Florian "syrsoN" Rische and signing former MOUZ star Jon "JDC" de Castro to replace Mateusz "mantuu" Wilczewski and Elias "s1n" Stein. s1n's removal especially was faced with a lot of criticism, since he was supposed to be succeeding tabseN as the team's captain in the near future.
Later in the summer, BIG also parted ways with Head Coach Fatih "gob b" Dayik, a legend within the organization and the German scene, and replaced youngster David "prosus" Hesse with veteran Swiss rifler Rigon "rigoN" Gashi.
These changes began bearing fruit in October, when BIG reached the grand final at ESL Challenger Atlanta. That momentum carried over into the Shanghai Major qualifiers.
The Shanghai RMR - a surprisingly smooth operation
BIG Clan kicked off their quest for a Major berth with convincing Best-of-one victories versus Danish side Sashi and Heroic, putting them in the 2-0 pool.
BIG's pre-decisive series was against Passion UA, an emerging Ukrainian squad that had upset Team Spirit to reach the 2-0 pool. Both teams had much at stake; a 3-0 record in the Swiss system would grant direct entry to the Major’s top 16 stage, bypassing the initial 16-team group*.
The series began on Passion UA’s pick, Anubis, where the Ukrainian underdogs edged out BIG 13-9. But on Dust 2, a map synonymous with German Counter-Strike, BIG roared back with a commanding 13-5 win.
.@KrimboCS El Pistolero pic.twitter.com/lqCr5zmxvz
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) November 22, 2024
Karim "Krimbo" Moussa’s 19-kill performance exemplified the team’s dominance.
A third and deciding map was needed, and Mirage was the chosen battleground for it.
A clean Dust 2 gets us into the decider: Mirage pic.twitter.com/CQSQdKZs3k
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) November 22, 2024
The final map saw BIG storm to an early 6-0 lead. Their most recent addition, rigoN, was playing lights out Counter Strike all map long.
riGOAT pic.twitter.com/Nia9NQAEXI
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) November 22, 2024
But Passion UA were allowed to claw back and leveled the first half at 6-6.
In the second half, however, tabseN’s tactical prowess and BIG’s cohesion proved too much. Round by round, BIG pulled away.
Matchpoint pic.twitter.com/nOq2vb9Uno
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) November 22, 2024
BIG could not be stopped after all, they secured a 13-9 victory and a long-awaited return to the Major stage.
WINNING MOMENT #GOBIG pic.twitter.com/T9Yt8L1KVB
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) November 22, 2024
For fans of German Counter-Strike, this qualification is more than just a triumph - it’s a revival. After 2 years of struggles, BIG Clan has demonstrated that the region still has what it takes to compete at the highest level.
WE DID IT 3-0! WE'RE BACK MAJOR pic.twitter.com/4nSxMbT9Bz
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) November 22, 2024
With their spot secured, all eyes will be on the Major as BIG looks to make a continued impact on the international stage once again. German CS is not quite dead yet, after all!
*According to HLTV, there is a chance that BIG Clan's direct advancement to the Top 16 Elimination Stage will be revoked, as all teams coming out of the European RMR's will be reseeded, following the event.